2014 Anywhere Theatre Festival makes even more of the world a stage

The 2014 Anywhere Theatre Festival, with presenting partner mX and major partners Queensland Government and Brisbane Marketing finished on Sunday 18th May with an incredible 420 performances of 67 production over 12 days in the nooks and crannies of 27 Brisbane suburbs. ”This was nearly overwhelming as it was up from 243 performances in 13 suburbs last […]

Share this:

The 2014 Anywhere Theatre Festival, with presenting partner mX and major partners Queensland Government and Brisbane Marketing finished on Sunday 18th May with an incredible 420 performances of 67 production over 12 days in the nooks and crannies of 27 Brisbane suburbs.

”This was nearly overwhelming as it was up from 243 performances in 13 suburbs last year and our goal this year was only 250 performances of 50 productions,” said Paul Osuch, co founder of Anywhere Theatre Festival.

Of the 67 productions, 53 were world premiere productions and the lion’s share were by local creators.

“The box office is vital because it goes straight to the creators of the work,” said Alex McTavish, co founder of Anywhere Theatre Festival. “It means that more independent producers come out of our festival in the position to be able to invest in their next production instead of being burdened by costs around most fringe festivals.”

This figure does not include free performances and the significant amount of tickets purchased at each show, that are still being tallied.

Arts Minister Ian Walker said he and his wife had attended a “play in a garage” performance in Mt Gravatt recently, which they thought was fantastic.

“Anywhere Theatre Festival’s vision for arts to happen anywhere really captures the spirit of this government’s Arts for all Queenslanders commitment, to deliver more great arts and culture for more Queenslanders,” Mr Walker said.

“There’s nothing stuffy about these shows.”

The quality of the work was also remarkable with over 117 reviews of work including festival highlights Sweet Meniscus by Queensland Ballet choreographer Joseph Stewart at the Spring Hill Baths and the large scale “pano(d)rama” Little Boxes at the Northshore docks through to the Goon Show inspired Smooth End Of the Pineapple at Holland Park Bowls Club, The Bald Prima Donna at the Paddington Substation and the one-on-one experience a library for the end of the world.

“Fifty three of the productions were world premiere works by local performers and producers for the 2014 Anywhere Theatre Festival, “said Paul, “What’s even more exciting is hearing the future plans for the shows outside of the Anywhere Theatre Festival.”

Continuing the investment in emerging artist and producer skills development, the Anywhere Director in Training program skilled up six young Queensland producers in how to produce theatre Anywhere during the festival.

“I can’t believe it’s over. It was such a great experience and I’ve learnt so much I can take onto my future plans!” Emily Bush – 2014 Anywhere Director in Training.

Anywhere Theatre Festival Ltd is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, part of the Department of Science, Information Technology, Innovation and the Arts.

“The investment by Queensland Government, Brisbane Marketing and mX allowed us to take a step up in what we could do and who we were able to welcome into the festival. It also encouraged our largest number of small business partners who could see the advantage in bringing audiences to their door,” said Paul Osuch

Next year’s festival is scheduled for the 6-17 May 2014.

“Planning is of course already under way,” said Alex, “We’ve also got a few other rather exciting plans in store for Brisbane and Queensland that we’ll be announcing in coming months.”

Anywhere is all about making performance a bigger part of everyone’s life by taking it out of the traditional theatre ghettos.

”We’re so amazed everyone has come on the journey so far and we are excited about the journey yet to come.”, said Paul.

mX is tickled pink to be the presenting partnering with the Anywhere Theatre Festival in 2014. Just like the Anywhere artists, we’re fun, creative and sometimes a little wacky every weekday in the Brisbane CBD and on our smartphone app around-the-clock. Grab mX each day for a serve of local news, the best of the world’s weirdest stories, all the latest Goss & glam and sport and the hilarity of our Talk pages and download our smartphone app today

Anywhere Theatre Festival Limited is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, part of the Department of Science, Information Technology, Innovation and the Arts.

Brisbane Marketing
Brisbane’s cultural world is as exciting as the lush landscape. Join us for some of the country’s finest restaurants, most electric events and unique shopping haunts. For the inside scoop, visitbrisbane.com.au

Our location partners are the secret and not so secret gems where you’ll find Anywhere Theatre Festival performances. They have provided their spaces to performers and producers over the twelve days.

Explore them during the festival and you’ll discover why you’ll want to visit them again!

Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts59-69 Shafston Avenue,Kangaroo Point, 4169
Is a unique Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander performing arts training institution, providing high quality training in the performance disciplines of dance, music and theatre.

Albert Street Uniting ChurchAlbert Street, Brisbane, 4000
Brisbane’s spiritual home for over 160 years. Located in the middle of Brisbane city, Wesley Mission Brisbane Albert Street Church is a centre of Christian worship, and a congregation of the Uniting Church in Australia.

Australian Modern9 Burchell Street, Carina, 4152
Chris Osborne and Susan Bennett live in a 1961 architect designed mid-century modernist home, featuring an open plan living space which they use as a venue for special architecture and design events.

The Bearded Lady138 Boundary Street, West End 4101
The Bearded Lady is a bar that is passionate about entertainment, being weekly live music, pop-up theatre events, monthly cabaret or art exhibitions. She will most certainly quench your liquid and artistic thirst.

Bent Books205a Boundary Street, West End 4101
Books, good books, lots of ‘em… mostly second hand.

BlackwallLevel 2, Absoe Building, 51 Mollison St, West End
Blackwall is an emerging, live arts space, suited to small and experimental music and performance acts. Venue capacity currently sits around 30-40 people, so it’s perfect for invite-only, intimate showcases or gigs.

The Boundary Hotel137 Boundary Street, West End, 4101
Since 1864 The Boundary Hotel has been an icon of West End, providing an inexpensive and friendly watering hole for locals and visitors alike.

Brisbane PowerhouseLamington Drive, New Farm, 4005
Bringing people together to create and experience adventurous arts. We belong to a place and a time. We have open doors and open arms, and we embrace the creativity of our city.

Fil-A-Bolus130/132 Kennedy Terrace, Paddington, 4064
(Easy for us to say) is a business collective, made up of 3 vibrantly focussed hair-stylists. One indulging beauty therapist and two life changing healers.

Flipside Circus117 Mina Parade, Alderley
Flipside Circus is a unique circus company that not only teaches circus to children and young people but takes it to the next level by creating exciting and innovative performances and shows.

Holland Park Bowls Club2 Abbotsleigh Street, Holland Park
Is a gorgeous period bowls club that is also host to the Bowlo Bazaar, a local market for local people to enjoy some selling, some buying, some sharing, some bowling and some informal hobnobbing!

HQ Male Grooming87 Boundary Street, West End 4101
Is the premier destination for your grooming needs in the Brisbane region. HQ is tailored to the modern day man who takes pride in his appearance and seeks a quality cut with professional service.

Maritime MuseumSidon Street, South Brisbane, 4101
Located on the Brisbane River at the southern end of South Bank Parklands the Queensland Maritime Museum has a wide range of interesting maritime displays that attracts over 35,000 visitors per annum including families, school groups, tour groups, inter-state and international visitors.

Mill Street StudiosUnit 1/ 18 Mill Street, Goodna, 4300
A space available for hire, workshops, creative developments, showings, & various other creative projects – be it dance, visual art, or photography showings and the new base for Claire Marshall Projects.

Mowbray Terrace Town Hall26 Mowbray Terrace, East Brisbane
The former Mowbray Town Hall in East Brisbane has been renovated and is available for short-term hire for functions and events such as: Product Launches, Photography Studio, Training sessions, Auctions, Large meetings and more….

Mr. RushGround Floor, Regional Arts House, 24 Macquarie St, Teneriffe
Is the espresso bar social enterprise venture of Artslink Queensland, a not-for-profit that aims to support artists and strengthen cultural development across the state.

Northshore HamiltonNorthshore Shed, 257 Macarthur Ave, Hamilton
Is Brisbane’s largest urban renewal precinct. At its heart, Northshore will include 2.5 kilometres of dedicated riverfront, with a mix of parkland and community space. These spaces will complement the combination of residential, retail and commercial opportunities on site.

Queensland MuseumMelbourne Street, South Brisbane, 4101
Celebrates and showcases natural and cultural environments, history, cultural heritage, science and human achievement. We tell Queensland’s story through dynamic exhibitions and experiences that connect visitors to Queensland, its people and place in the world.

Paddington Substation150 Enogerra Terrace, Paddington, 4064
One of Brisbane’s few remaining interwar tramway substations and one of its most prominent, like most of the others this is the work of tramways architect RR Ogg and chief engineer W Arundell.

Padre Dive Bar598 Stanley St, Woolloongabba
The creation of three men whose babies were born across the road at the Mater Hospital, there’s something about Padre that feels like a cross between the Cheers bar and the ‘Those Were the Days’ tavern that Mary Hopkins once trilled about.

Queen Street MallBrisbane City, 4000
From Queensland’s largest selection of fashion and award-winning food and drink, to an extensive FREE entertainment program, The City offers a discovery in every direction.

Reverse Garbage20 Burke Street, Woolloongabba
Reverse Garbage is a not-for-profit worker run co-operative that promotes sustainability and resource reuse. We divert high quality industrial discards away from landfill and sell them at a low cost to the public, run eco-art workshops, a mail order service and host Reverse Emporium up-cycled gallery and giftshop. www.reversegarbage.com.au

Roma Street ParklandsRoma Street Parklands, Brisbane 4000
Is an oasis in the heart of Brisbane’s CBD. Open all day, every day of the year, come and relax, play, refresh and enjoy the lush lawns and beautiful gardens throughout.

Shady Palms427 Logan Rd, Stones Corner
Home to a café, restaurant & two unique bars, Shady Palms shares an abundance of collective quirk, family manner, local brews, four individual area’s to drink & dine, plus a novel function space, a boutique cider fridge that will leave you pondering as well as some of Brisbane’s most talented local musical acts.

Stones Corner Hotel346 Logan Rd, Greenslopes, 4120
Established in 1888, The Heritage Charm of The Stones Corner Hotel is felt the moment you enter this beautifully renovated Landmark.

Storey Bridge Hotel200 Main Street, Kangaroo Point QLD 4169
The Story Bridge Hotel is a Brisbane icon—a local watering hole that holds a special place in the hearts of generations of Brisbane residents.

Turf Studio51 Ipswich Rd, Woollongabba
Step into our studio and you’ll feel your inner child come out to play in this quirky astroturfed space. With a range of yoga classes, workshops and events on offer, our exciting calendar will keep you fit and inspired. Turf Studios is right next door to ORAWGI, Brisbanes first Organic, Raw and Vegan cafe!